- Lee Collins (musician)
Leeds "Lee" Collins (October 17, 1901,
New Orleans - July 3, 1960,Chicago ) was an Americanjazz trumpeter.Collins played in
brass band s as a teenager, includingThe Young Eagles ,The Columbia Band , and theTuxedo Brass Band . In the 1910s he played in New Orleans alongsideLouis Armstrong ,Papa Celestin , andZutty Singleton . He moved to Chicago in 1924, where he replaced Louis Armstrong inKing Oliver 's band. He also played withJelly Roll Morton before returning to New Orleans late in the decade. There he played on the recordings of theJones-Collins Astoria Hot Eight in 1929 before playing inNew York City withLuis Russell in 1930 and then heading back to Chicago. There he played withDave Peyton (1930), theChicago Ramblers (1932),Johnny Dodds andBaby Dodds , Zutty Singleton,Mezz Mezzrow ,Lovie Austin , andJimmy Bertrand (1945). Collins played in Chicago through the 1930s and 1940s as an accompanist to manyblues singers and innightclub s. After 1945 he led his own band at the Victory Club on Clark Street in Chicago, and gigged withChippie Hill (1946),Kid Ory (1948), andArt Hodes (1950-51). He played inEurope with Mezz Mezzrow in 1951 and 1954 and in California withJoe Sullivan in 1953. In the mid-1950s he retired due to illness.Collins wrote an autobiography, "Oh Didn't He Ramble", which was published in 1974.
References
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Scott Yanow , [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0vfyxqr5ldde~T1 Lee Collins] atAllmusic
*Leonard Feather andIra Gitler , "The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz". Oxford, 1999, p. 144.
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